Thursday’s historic win, which brought the first NBA championship to the Toronto Raptors, has also led to another record: that for merchandise sales at the official NBA store. The previous sales record was set in 2016, and Friday’s records were up 100 per cent year-over-year, according to the NBA. You could see the evidence loud and clear in Toronto, where Raptors fans such as Victor Maua swarmed the shops for championship gear starting in the early morning. Only one problem for Maua: hundreds of other fans got there much earlier than he did. Sports stores across the city were facing a surge in demand for Raptors’ authentic gear, as countless fans wanted to own a piece of history before all the merchandise sold out.

Source: thestar June 14, 2019 23:15 UTC